Union Labour Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the 15th BRICS Trade Union Forum Summit in Hyderabad on July 14, 2026, emphasizing India's commitment to building a worker-centric global order where technological advancement is guided by social justice, responsible innovation, and human dignity. The summit, organized by Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), brought together more than 50 international delegates and around 70 representatives of Indian trade unions, labour experts, and academicians.
India's social protection coverage has shown remarkable growth, expanding from 19% in 2015 to 64.3% in 2025, covering nearly 940 million people. Preliminary estimates for 2026 indicate that coverage has crossed one billion citizens. The government's labour reforms have consolidated 29 labour laws into Four Labour Codes, providing for universal minimum wages, appointment letters, improved occupational safety and health, digital compliance systems, and formal recognition of gig and platform workers.
Digital infrastructure has been leveraged to transform labour governance, with the e-Shram portal registering more than 317 million unorganised workers, enabling them to access various welfare schemes. The National Career Service Portal connects job seekers, employers, career centres, and training providers through a nationwide digital employment platform. The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) serves over 80 million active members and 8 million pensioners, while the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) provides healthcare and social security benefits to over 150 million insured persons and their dependants.
Employment generation has been significant, with nearly 170 million employment opportunities created in the last decade. The Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana aims to create 35 million formal sector jobs over the next two years through employment-linked incentives. India's labour governance framework operates through tripartite dialogue among the Government, employers, and trade unions, with institutions such as EPFO, ESIC, and statutory bodies under the Labour Codes functioning through tripartite mechanisms.
The BRICS countries together represent nearly half of humanity and one of the world's largest labour forces, with scope for enhanced cooperation in areas such as social security, labour mobility, skill development, AI governance, and decent work. The summit deliberations will focus on four thematic areas: universal social security and portability of benefits, human-centric technology and responsible AI, skill development for the future of work, and women in the changing world of work.